 What she did: Shepard won the 50 free in 25.9 seconds to help Redwood to a close 94-86 win against Tam on Friday. The win moved the Giants into first place and gave Redwood the distinction of being the only remaining undefeated girls team.

 What she said: "I'd like to think that I had a big impact. It was a lot of a team effort. It felt really good (to win). We knew it was going to be close (but) we knew we would beat them if we were on our game."

 What's next: Shepard, who transferred to Redwood from San Francisco's University High last November, is eager to help the Giants add to their trophy collection. "I want to help Redwood win their 10th MCAL title," she said.

 Out of the pool: "Swimming kind of takes over everything I do," Shepard said, explaining that she took a picture of one of her swim teammates for the school paper.

 Trivial matter: During hard sets with her club team, North Bay Aquatics, Shepard says she and teammates Elizabeth Duncan and Olivia Lewis like to lighten the mood. "We sing 'Climb Every Mountain' as our pump up song," she said, referring to the Sound of Music tune. "We're terrible singers but we sing any ways."

 Coach Matthew McDowell: "Deirdre stepped up when her team was leaning on her and helped Redwood continue its undefeated season. We wouldn't have been able to do that without her. Since she's been here, she's been awesome. Every meet we're surprised at what she does. Getting her late has given us a boost in depth."